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TORONTO—Montreal-based metalworking tools and supplies maker Walter Surface Technologies has launched a national internship program in search of two of Canada’s brightest students to help close the leadership gap among millennials and upper management.

The program, dubbed Next to Succeed is a continuation of Walter’s Quebec-based internship program Objectif: Relève, which started in 2014.

The nation-wide program offers a paid internship to business and engineering students from across Canada to advance their careers at the multi-national company’s Montreal-based corporate offices.

“It is our goal to develop Canada’s leaders of tomorrow and encourage other Canadian organizations to create strong leadership succession plans by investing in millennials,” says Pierre Somers, chairman and CEO of Walter Surface Technologies. “This innovative approach will offer the ideal platform for students and employees to grow and exchange ideas, which also will ultimately help to further our organization’s growth.”

As many senior and second-level executives retire or approach retirement, Canadian organizations face a serious leadership succession challenge. According to Statistics Canada 2013 Trends and Forecasts, companies that transition to the next generation without a succession plan experience a drop in business in their first years.

“The Canadian population is aging and there is a critical need to fast-track efforts to train the next generation of young leaders, says Alain Gosselin, professor, Department of Human Resources Management at Quebec business school HEC Montreal. “Succession planning and management is a process that helps with the stability and duration of qualified workers and Canadian companies require fresh and innovative thinking that uses existing tools and ideas to ensure continued effective performance of an organization and tactical application of key people over time.”

Next To Succeed is Walter’s systematic approach to identify, develop and retain talent for key positions. The internship program offers access to training and development—including the opportunity to work directly with executive management teams and the chairman and CEO—on key projects in research and development, finance, operations and marketing.

Aspiring students will also have the opportunity to create an “elevator pitch” video highlighting their skill sets and job goals to accompany their internship application through an on campus activation at Toronto’s Rotman School of Business and the Alberta School of Business Students.

Students can apply for the internship by visiting http://www.walter.com/NexttoSucceed until April 17, 2015. Two interns will be selected on May 8, 2015 by the Walter Surface Technologies’ leadership committee to complete the internship program, taking place from June to August, 2015.

Established more than 62 years ago, the Montreal-based, privately-owned Walter Surface Technologies, provider tools and consumables to the global metal surfaces industry.

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